 |
| Outside of Restaurant Gary Danko, at the corner of Hyde and North Point St. |
Entering the establishment, one finds an intimate bar sitting in the middle, flanked on both sides by small dinning areas dimly lit by candlelight. Behind the bar sits the kitchen, along with the wine cellar. Walls and pillars feature warm woods that concentrate the candlelight into a truly intimate and romantic vibe. From the aesthetics alone, I highly recommend this restaurant for any kind of special occasion with a significant other.
After being greeted, I was led to a small two-top in the left dining room where I was given time to check out the menu. Restaurant Gary Danko offers two dining experiences:
- Three ($87), four ($106) and five ($124) courses from a sizable list of appetizers (10 options), fish and seafood (8 options), meat and game bird (6 options), cheese course and dessert (9 options)
- Chef Gary Danko's tasting menu: $124 for five courses
I opted for the Chef's tasting menu, and so our culinary journey was to begin!
 |
| Beef bouillon with mushroom consomé 2017 Restaurant Gary Danko. San Francisco, CA |
First up was a little amuse-bouche from the kitchen: beef bouillon with mushroom consomé. The broth had incredibly rich, beef flavor. This was accented perfectly by the earthy mushrooms. Finally, the addition of scallions added nice herbaceous notes. Simple, light and refreshing; a nice start to tonight's meal.
 |
| Glazed oysters with osetra caviar 2017 Restaurant Gary Danko. San Francisco, CA |
Moving along, next came tonight's first course of record: glazed oysters with osetra caviar. This was served with white asparagus, leeks and lettuce cream. The sauce - consisting of white wine and clam juice - was rich and decadent, which made everything better. The oysters themselves had terrific signature briny flavors, as well as a hint of smoke notes. Caviar offered more overt saline bombs of flavor, while the celery cream provided a herbaceous element to the dish. Overall: terrific balance with an incredible assortment of flavors. Bravo!
 |
| Horseradish crusted salmon medallion 2017 Restaurant Gary Danko. San Francisco, CA |
Following the oysters was another dish from the sea: a horseradish crusted salmon medallion with dilled cucumbers and mustard sauce. The salmon itself was cooked to a perfect rare/medium rare, with the right shade of pink color. The flavors were excellent: a marriage of signature salmon notes and vibrant horseradish. The horseradish notes carried through into the sauce, and were buttressed with the inclusion of a little whole grain mustard. Finally, the dilled cucumbers were a nice fresh foil to the other flavors, balancing out the dish's flavor profile.
 |
| Seared fillet of beef with potato gnocchi 2017 Restaurant Gary Danko. San Francisco, CA |
Tonight's final dinner course was seared fillet of beef, served with potato gnocchi, olive oil, swiss chard and Stilton butter. To be expected, the beef was a perfect medium rare. Over top of the fillet was a nice dollop of Stilton butter, which offered an impeccable combination of earthy tones and overt richness. The gnocchi was a nice change of pace from the usual 'baked potato,' while the swiss chard offered a more nuanced flavor than a basic spinach, while soaking up the wonderful jus and melted Stilton butter drippings. Outstanding!
 |
| Cheese assortment (you pick four) for tonight's cheese course 2017 Restaurant Gary Danko. San Francisco, CA |
It's rare that I completely lose my focus while dining out at an outstanding restaurant. Even in dim sum or Brazilian steakhouse restaurants, where servers are barraging you with carts of dumpling deliciousness, or skewers of various grilled meats; I usually can pull back on the throttle and collect my thoughts. The moment when my server at Restaurant Gary Danko pulled up the cheese trolley... is one of the few exceptions.
The trolley contains something like seventeen different cheeses, from soft to hard, sheep's milk to cow's milk, sharp to mild, etc. One's mission: to select four for your cheese plate. Not being a cheese expert, I was completely lost at sea. I proceeded to pick four random cheeses, with no rhyme or reason to their selection. I was so dumbfounded that I didn't even bother to take notes. Just know that all four were incredible, as I am sure the other thirteen. It's a sight to behold, and a reason in and of itself to check out Restaurant Gary Danko!
Tonight's final offering is a lemon soufflé, with crème fraîche panna cotta and raspberry sorbet. The soufflé arrived, a solid inch or two above the ramekin that it was served in. The server first cut a little ex in the center, and while the dish started to sink slightly, poured the panna cotta to fill the bottom. Next came strawberry marmalade, then finally topped with a sphere of raspberry sorbet.
The soufflé itself offered beautiful egg flavor, serving as a buffer between the overt sweet fruit flavors of the gelato and marmalade, and the panna cotta. The acidity of the strawberry kept the palette refreshed, while the panna cotta offered nice creamy tones that paired nicely with the rich egg soufflé. Overall an incredible dessert, and a suitable capstone to a wonderful meal.
Few chefs marry classical French cuisine with the vibrant flavors of California like Chef Gary Danko. His approach to gastronomy has established himself as one of the great culinary figures of San Francisco, and continues to offer a blueprint to those aspiring chefs who have made the Bay Area their home. As such, I cannot think of a more suitable restaurant for celebrating a special occasion than the one that carries his namesake.
Dining date: June 17, 2017
 |
| Four cheese plate with grapes and biscuit 2017 Restaurant Gary Danko. San Francisco, CA |
 |
| Soufflé with crème fraîche panna cotta, strawberry marmalade & raspberry sorbet 2017 Restaurant Gary Danko. San Francisco, CA |
The soufflé itself offered beautiful egg flavor, serving as a buffer between the overt sweet fruit flavors of the gelato and marmalade, and the panna cotta. The acidity of the strawberry kept the palette refreshed, while the panna cotta offered nice creamy tones that paired nicely with the rich egg soufflé. Overall an incredible dessert, and a suitable capstone to a wonderful meal.
Few chefs marry classical French cuisine with the vibrant flavors of California like Chef Gary Danko. His approach to gastronomy has established himself as one of the great culinary figures of San Francisco, and continues to offer a blueprint to those aspiring chefs who have made the Bay Area their home. As such, I cannot think of a more suitable restaurant for celebrating a special occasion than the one that carries his namesake.
Dining date: June 17, 2017
No comments:
Post a Comment